Dauphin Island Sea Lab to get new research center for study of marine strandings in the Gulf of Mexico

The 2,300-square-foot lab will be the new location for the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. The research center is slated to open in mid-2015. (Image courtesy of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab)

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama -- A new research center will be built on the campus of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to support the study dolphin, whale and manatee strandings in the Gulf of Mexico.

The 2,300-square-foot lab will allow the Sea Lab scientists to collect data on the mammals off the Alabama coast. The cost of construction is about $762,000, officials said, that will be paid for with a grant. The facility will be located on the south end of the Shelby building.

Ruth Carmichael, a senior scientist with the Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network on Dauphin Island, said the new center that's slated to open by mid-2015, will provide resources to bring the Sea Lab to better address questions about cause of death and provide a training ground for budding researchers.

"With this new research center, the network will be able to function more efficiently and effectively," Carmichael said.

"Alabama has historically had limited stranding response and data collection due to lack of funding, so this facility will enable the network to more effectively monitor marine mammal occurrence, habitat use and strandings, including causes of mortality."

The Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network is a cooperative effort along the Gulf Coast that works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Fisheries Service to respond to mammal strandings in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi.